Written by: Beck

The papers have all begun announcing their endorsements for president. Most have not been especially surprising. But what of the newspaper which perhaps knows John Kerry best--the newspaper from his hometown of Lowell?

OK, so obviously I wouldn't be blogging this were Kerry's hometown rag endorsing Kerry. They've chosen to endorse Bush. So yes, I enjoy rubbing it in, but Lowell Sun makes some good points, and they definitely seem to have an up-close and personal feel for the Senator's personality.

John Kerry... has all the attributes of the shape of water when it comes to telling us what he believes and what he'd do for America. Like incoming and outgoing tides, Kerry is content to go with the flow. In a dangerous world infested with sharks, Kerry would be chum at America's expense.

We in Massachusetts know John Kerry. He got his first taste of politics 32 years ago in the cities and towns of Greater Lowell.

In his 20 years in the U.S. Senate, Kerry, a Navy war hero, hasn't risen above the rank of seaman for his uninspiring legislative record. He's been inconsistent on major issues. First he's for the 1991 Persian Gulf War, then he opposes it. First he's for the war in Iraq, then he's against it. First he's for a strong U.S. defense, then he votes against military weapons programs. First he's for the U.S. Patriot Act, then he opposes it.

Kerry's solution to stop terrorism? He'd go to the U.N. and build a consensus. How naive. France's Jacques Chirac, Germany's Gerhard Schroeder, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan and other Iraq oil-for-food scam artists don't want America to succeed. They want us brought down to their level. And more and more, Kerry sounds just like them. In a recent campaign speech, Kerry said America was in the wrong war, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

No doubt John Kerry sincerely wants to serve his country, but we believe he's the wrong man, in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Kerry has defined his candidacy as an alternative to Bush's. His arguments for why we should elect him revolve around deficiencies--perceived or real--in Bush's presidency. Kerry's campaign has been one of finding fault with imperfect actions taken to resolve a host of complex, thorny issues in an increasingly complex, thorny world.

The Lowell Sun does something which many would be well advised to do themselves. Think not about Kerry as simply "the alternative to Bush." Rather, think about Kerry the man. What does Kerry really represent? What does Kerry really believe in? What will Kerry really do as president? And most importantly, what kind of man is John Forbes Kerry?

I had a professor once who, when speaking about ethics in business, said that everything comes down to, "Character, with a capital 'C'." Some people have it, and some people don't. You might not like Bush's social policy, his stance on abortion, gay marriage, socialized health care; you might not like his fiscal policy, his tax breaks or his spending hikes; you might think that Bush has done a poor job managing the situation in post-war Iraq, his prosecution of the War on Terror.

I would disagree with you on many of those points. There are plenty of grounds for debate on any of a host of contentious policy issues. But there's one thing about which I have zero doubt. About which I think there is zero ground for debate. Bush has Character; Kerry is profoundly bereft of it. If Kerry wins this election, the American people will reap what they have sown.

And they we will deserve what we get.